Koons Backs Down

It’s a victory for balloon dog enthusiasts everywhere with the news that Jeff Koons has backed down from his intellectual property dispute with the makers and suppliers of a series of balloon dog bookends. Imm-Living, the manufacturers of the bookends and Park Life, the gallery that sells them, have both received letters from Koons’ lawyers stating that their fabrication and sale could continue under the provision that the product was not tied to Koons in any way (a little difficult given the artist’s hissy fit, no?).

Following the receipt of a cease-and-desist letter from Koons’ lawyers, Park Life took the bull by the horns and sued Koons, asking the federal court in San Francisco to declare that the business wasn’t infringing on the artist’s rights. Lawyer Jedediah Wakefield who was working pro bono for Park Life observed that Koons’ lawyers “…very quickly indicated they weren’t interested in putting up a fight.” Clowns the world over can breath a sigh of relief.